Red Sox Debut Dustin May in Rotation vs Astros

The Boston Red Sox have finalized their pitching rotation for the weekend series against the Houston Astros, featuring the Boston debut of right-hander Dustin May, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline. May is set to pitch in Sunday’s series finale at Fenway Park, while Cooper Criswell will start Friday's game, replacing ace Garrett Crochet who has been given extra rest. The Red Sox also acquired lefty reliever Steven Matz from the Cardinals, bolstering their pitching staff following the trade deadline. Boston's chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described the team as aggressively pursuing impact players but acknowledged that some targeted trades did not materialize, citing negotiations involving players like Joe Ryan and Eugenio Suarez. The Red Sox traded prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard to obtain May, with Tibbs being a top prospect from the Rafael Devers trade package. Since trading Devers, Boston has improved its record and hopes May will help strengthen their rotation in the playoff push.